


learn to love the skies i'm under

by celeste9



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Character Study, Community: heroinebigbang, Families of Choice, Female Friendship, Friendship, Gen, Male-Female Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-04
Updated: 2016-08-04
Packaged: 2018-07-29 04:24:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7669969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/celeste9/pseuds/celeste9
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rey finds her place within the Resistance.</p>
            </blockquote>





	learn to love the skies i'm under

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Heroine Big Bang, red_b_rackham made gorgeous art for it [here](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7677151)! Go tell her how beautiful it is! 
> 
> Title from Mumford and Sons.

When Rey stepped off the _Millennium Falcon,_ she was only too happy to hang back and let Luke get carried away in the welcoming crowd. Chewie and R2-D2 followed after him but Rey was more comfortable trying to make herself invisible. The enthusiasm was for Luke, for the return of the galaxy’s hero, and that was fine with her.

Until she saw Finn, whose enthusiasm was definitely entirely for her.

“Finn!” she shouted, running to him. Rey let herself get swept up into his warm embrace. “Finn, you’re okay!”

She had known he was, she had spoken to him over a long distance comm after he’d woken up, but it was different actually seeing him, feeling him again. He had been so still and lifeless the last time Rey had been by his side. Now he was _Finn_ again.

“You did it!” he was saying. “Rey, you did it!”

“I didn’t do anything,” Rey protested, drawing back.

“You found Luke.”

“Poe did that, and you, and Beebee-Ate, and Artoo. All I did was fly the ship.”

“You had as much to do with the map as me; without you, me and Beebee would never have gotten off Jakku. You’re the one who brought Luke home,” Finn insisted.

Rey looked towards where the crowd had parted for Luke and Leia. They were standing there in each other’s arms like they were the only two people in the galaxy, and it didn’t look like they were going to part anytime soon. 

“No,” Rey said. “I wasn’t.”

She reached into her bag and fumbled for a few seconds until she located what she was searching for. She held her hand out to Finn, a stone resting in her palm. She had found it on Ahch-To, just a sparkle near the edge of the cliff outside the ruins. She wasn’t sure what had urged her to dig through the rocks to find it, but she had.

She had cleaned dirt and moss and sea spray off of it and buffed it, and she’d thought… It had caught the moonlight, at night, like a shining beam in the darkness. It had made her think of Finn, steady and sure and bright.

So she had kept it for him.

“I brought this for you,” Rey said to him shyly.

For a few long moments Finn didn’t do anything and Rey felt so stupid, stars, she was such an idiot, she was trying to give him a _rock_ –

But then Rey realized that Finn was beaming at her, his eyes filled with warmth, and he crushed her into another hug. “Thank you,” he said, “thank you, I love it,” and Rey relaxed into his embrace.

-

Rey was given her own room on the Resistance base. Apparently they had a free one, though Rey didn’t like to think about why that was the case. There had been an awkward moment where she’d assumed she could room with Finn, but he’d told her he’d been rooming with Poe, so. Everyone had acted like she was lucky to get a room to herself because most didn’t (except, for instance, Poe, who had actually given up the privilege to let Finn move in) but Rey wasn’t so sure about it. She was used to being alone but she wasn’t sure she wanted to be anymore.

In any case, she had her own room. She hadn’t actually slept in it the first night, choosing to stay in the _Falcon_ instead, and she’d spent most of her first day on base in the _Falcon_ as well. She felt safe there. But she knew she couldn’t do that forever (and Chewie definitely wasn’t going to let her, and neither was Finn) so the second night, she moved into her room. The bed was small and it was too soft, and she ended up tossing the blankets and the pillow onto the floor and curling up there instead. 

In the morning, just as she was figuring out what she should do, someone knocked on her door.

It was Poe. “Morning, Rey.”

“Er, good morning?” she said, confused as to why Poe Dameron was standing in the hallway outside her quarters.

“Uh, maybe you don’t remember me? I’m--”

“Poe,” Rey finished for him. “I remember you.” He was the kind of person who was difficult to forget.

“Great,” he said, smiling. Poe had the sorts of lines on his face that made Rey think he smiled a good deal.

“Did you want something?”

“Oh, right. The general thought it would be a good idea to give you the grand tour, show you around, let you know how things work around here. Sort of a semi-official welcome to the Resistance thing.”

“And you volunteered?”

Poe was still smiling. “If that’s all right with you.”

Rey couldn’t help but smile back. “It is.”

“Well, then,” Poe said, stepping back from the door. “Shall we?”

As they walked in step down the hall, Poe kept up a steady stream of conversation. “Finn’s told me so much about you that I feel like I know you already.”

“Finn talked about me?” The idea made Rey feel pleased without quite understanding why.

“All good things, I promise.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t really know that much about you. Just, you know, that you’re a pilot, a really good one, and Beebee-Ate’s your droid.”

“Pretty much all you need to know, probably.”

“I know that’s not true.”

“Then I guess we’ll just have to spend some more time together,” Poe suggested.

“That would be nice.” Rey had liked Poe on sight, his friendliness and openness, and she knew that Finn had grown close to him while she had been away. If Poe was important to Finn, maybe he could be important to her, too.

Poe took her around the base, showed her places like the armory and the command center and the med center. It was different from the base on D’Qar, as the Resistance took care to preserve as much of the natural life on the planet as possible when they moved in. This planet was a bit warmer, a bit dryer, with less foliage and more open space. 

He led her inside the hangar bay, showing her the fleet and introducing her to some of the pilots and the mechanics. He explained how the Resistance operated, the individual squadrons and who made them up.

“We’re not officially assigning you to a squadron. Luke’s already claimed you, or, you’ve claimed him,” Poe told her with another easy smile. “But you’re a damn good pilot, not to mention a mechanic, so any help you could offer would always be welcome.”

“I’d like that,” Rey said, meaning it. She wanted to learn everything she possibly could from Luke but the opportunity to live so surrounded by starships, to fly, to work on them to her heart’s content not because she desperately needed to eat but because she was helping to keep them running, helping to keep them in the fight, was tremendously appealing.

She wanted to do whatever she could to stop Kylo Ren.

“If it comes to it, if we need you, you’ll fly with Blue Team and you’ll do everything Captain Wexley tells you to.”

Rey nodded, almost thrown by the gravity of Poe’s voice. He was so loose and jovial and casual that it was easy to forget he was actually Commander Dameron, the best pilot the Resistance had in this war. 

“And Snap will do everything I tell him to,” Poe finished, more matter-of-fact than arrogant.

Rey liked that the Resistance seemed to operate based on trust and mutual respect. Poe was confident because he was good, and his teams followed him because they liked him and they knew he would always do his best for them. Poe trusted them in turn to do as they were asked and to have his back.

It was like how Rey felt about Finn. She knew he would always be there for her and she would always be there for him. That was how the pilots were. They were… they were almost like a family. A family they had chosen, but a family nonetheless. Rey wondered if maybe one day they would feel that way about her, too.

“Hey, buddy,” Poe said as BB-8 rolled into view, beeping a happy greeting. Poe smiled with genuine enthusiasm.

BB-8 referred to Rey as ‘Friend Rey’. Poe was ‘Partner Poe’ but Rey was ‘Friend Rey’. She liked the sound of it. It actually distracted her, thinking that now she could list the names of her friends on multiple fingers, so that she missed the rapid exchange of conversation between Poe and the droid.

Then she picked up on a snippet, BB-8 insisting on Poe’s affection for Finn and for… for Rey? For her, too? And Poe was blushing, his smile nervous when he glanced at Rey, and he muttered, “Quiet, Beebee, you’re not helping.”

BB-8 insisted that he always helped, and Rey could only laugh.

-

Over the next few days, Rey began to settle into a routine. Training with Luke, spending time with Finn, helping out where she could. The base was a constant buzz of activity and Rey loved the noise, the movement, the _people._ On Jakku everyone had been so concerned with themselves, with getting what they needed, with staying alive. Partnerships, where they existed, had been about mutual benefit.

No one seemed to worry about what people could offer each other here. They simply cared. 

Rey turned when she heard someone calling her name. Two of the female pilots were walking towards her, the ones who were often with Poe. Jess, Rey remembered, Jess and… Karé. “Hello,” she said as they approached.

“Got a minute?” Jess asked.

“Sure, yes. I was just… Yes, I’ve got time.”

“Great. So we know Poe’s done the official tour thing.”

“But there’s less official things you should definitely know, and that’s what we’re here for,” Karé finished.

“Less official things?” Rey asked. She wasn’t entirely sure what they meant though she realized this was something of an overture of friendship, which she appreciated. She hadn’t expected anything like the warm greeting from the Resistance that she was receiving. Sometimes Rey felt awkward, unsure of her place, but then Finn would come and throw his arm around her shoulders, or Poe would ask for her opinion on some modification he was making to his ship, and her unease faded away.

“Yeah, I’ll start,” Jess said. “The third ‘fresher on the right is always cold, that’s why it’s almost always free. Don’t be fooled.”

Then Karé said, “The caf is never good. Never.”

“Technically the kitchens are closed at night but we can show you how to sneak in. We’ve decided you can be trusted not to tell on us.”

“It’s a very big honor,” Karé said, unable to keep a completely straight face. “Also technically, there’s no alcohol kept on base, but if you’re having one of those days, Iolo always has a bottle of something good in his bunk and he doesn’t mind sharing.”

“But if the mechanics offer you some of their moonshine, just say no.”

“Same goes for Snap. If he offers to mix you a drink, seriously, just say no. You’ll be on your ass in an hour.”

Jess screwed up her nose, making a face. “Or you’ll find yourself waking up in Poe’s bed with the worst hangover of your life. Thankfully all clothing remained, but I can’t guarantee the same result should Snap’s drinks happen to you.”

Karé snorted. “Still haven’t figured out which of you was more confused, have we?”

“He got out of that bed so fast he literally fell on the floor.”

“And then spent the next month apologizing for where his hands had been.”

Rey giggled. The images they were presenting were easily imaginable and too good not to think about. In her head she could see the embarrassed and apologetic blush on Poe’s cheeks without even having known him when this had happened.

“Speaking of Poe,” Jess continued, “he will constantly hang around working on his ship in sleeveless shirts and mussed hair with grease all over, just ignore him.”

“Just ignore him all the time, really, it’s for the best,” Karé agreed. 

“Okay,” Rey said, puzzled. 

“She thinks she’s immune.”

“She’s adorable,” Jess said. 

“Maybe she is immune. I mean, look at all the time she’s spent with Finn.”

“Finn?” Rey said.

Jess gently directed her gaze towards where Finn was standing in conversation with a couple of mechanics, farther down the tarmac. He was clearly telling them a story, illustrating animatedly with his hands.

“I don’t get it,” Rey said.

The two pilots started laughing, but lightly, not like they were making fun. “You will,” Karé said. “Unless he’s not your type? That’s okay, too. I like girls. Jess likes both. Or, all, really.”

Oh. _Oh._ “I hadn’t really thought about it,” Rey said, feeling stupid. What sort of person didn’t know what they liked? They were going to think she was weird, that she was a silly little girl from a backwater planet. Which was partially true, but that wasn’t the point.

Only they didn’t act like they thought any of that. Karé said, “You have plenty of time to figure it out.”

“I recommend considering Finn,” Jess suggested. “Cute and a good guy. Plus, those _arms._ Unless you haven’t seen his arms yet?”

Rey thought she might be blushing. “I’ve seen his arms.”

“So you get it at least a little bit,” Jess said, her smile teasing but kind.

Rey couldn’t help but smile back. “Maybe a little.” She thought that anything more than friendship wasn’t something she could concern herself with for the time being and what she had said earlier was true. Quite honestly, she hadn’t actually thought about it. She hadn’t considered Finn in that way. It wasn’t very long ago that Rey had been sitting inside her home, stomach growling, body aching, hoping only that she would find enough scavenge the next day to appease the emptiness in her belly. Love wasn’t something she had even considered.

Now she was simply happy not to be alone. Having Finn in her life at all was enough.

Maybe in time that would change. For now, Rey was content.

“There was one more thing we wanted to tell you,” Karé said.

“This is the most important thing,” Jess added, her serious tone at odds with the playful expression on her face.

“We’re here for you,” Karé said, drawing Rey’s startled focus. “I know this is all new to you, and maybe it’s a bit scary, I don’t know, but if you ever have questions, or concerns, or if you just want someone to complain to… You can come to us, either of us.”

“We mean it. Any time.”

Rey didn’t know what to say but she was so grateful and touched she thought it might spill out of her. “Thank you,” she said, and hoped that was good enough.

Karé smiled at her. “Us flygirls have to stick together, yeah?” 

Thankfully before Rey could do something humiliating like throw her arms around two women she still hardly knew, one of the Resistance’s young pilots came walking towards them, stopping briefly before Rey. 

“Hi, Rey,” he said with a wide, charming smile.

“Hello,” Rey said back, cursing herself inwardly because she couldn’t remember his name. Everyone on the entire base seemed to know hers but Rey had met so many new people in such a short amount of time that she was having difficulty keeping track of names and faces.

“I hope these two aren’t boring you too badly.”

“Ignore him, Rey, he thinks he’s amusing,” Jess advised.

“He actually thinks he could be better company than us,” Karé said with a look that easily conveyed what she thought about that.

“I’d prove it if I could,” the pilot said regretfully, “but duty calls. Maybe I’ll see you later, Rey?”

“Maybe,” Rey said, and watched him leave. Tarth? Was that his name? Or was it Kev? Blast it, she couldn’t remember. 

Jess was watching her. “You might notice Poe and Finn aren’t the only popular ones around here.”

Rey blinked. She looked again at the pilot’s retreating back. “You mean…”

“I mean,” Jess confirmed.

Rey was certain she was blushing now but she also felt a warm rush of pleasure building up inside of her. This must be how it felt to be wanted.

She could get used to it.

-

Meal times were among Rey’s favorite aspects of being with the Resistance. She liked the way all the pilots and the technicians and the support staff and everyone on the base would gather in the mess hall, talking and laughing and enjoying each other’s company. Sometimes people could only run in and grab something and run out again and sometimes people sat down and were able to take their time. Rey imagined that a family must feel like this; sitting down and breaking bread with the people who were closest to you.

Plus there was the food.

On Jakku, food had been rare and earned, and food had been sustenance. On Takodana, Rey had learned that food could be plentiful, that food could be _amazing._ She tried everything. Sweet, savory, spicy; everything was different and unique. She still ate everything on her plate, whether she wanted it or not; a lifetime of being hungry was hard to escape. In her head she knew she no longer had to worry but it was harder to make herself believe it.

Still, though. There was always food and Rey was free to enjoy it for what it was.

She usually ate with Finn. Sometimes Luke, if they were discussing something, or then sometimes Leia would join them. She’d eaten with Poe and his pilot friends. Her friends now, too, she thought. But mostly Finn.

As she was right now. They’d sat next to each other because Rey liked the feeling that he was right there, that his knee might knock against hers, or that she could reach out and grab him. It was probably stupid. She didn’t much care.

“Look, there’s Poe,” Finn said, waving at him as he maneuvered between tables. “Poe! Come sit with us!”

“Hey, I was looking for you,” he said, sitting across from them. “Got something for you. You’re gonna love it.” He plucked a little round ball, slightly smaller than Rey’s fist, made of some sort of pastry dough off his own plate and put it on Rey’s. “Sorry, I only have one,” he said regretfully to Finn. “You’ll have to share, if Rey’s generous enough.”

“What is it?” Rey asked, eyeing it.

“Just try it,” Poe urged. “Mei’s specialty.”

Finn reached over and pushed his fingers into it, driving Rey to smack his hand out of the way. “There weren’t any of these out when I got my plate.”

“Nah, she doesn’t leave ‘em out like that. For her favorites only.”

“And of course you’re one of her favorites?”

Poe smiled, a flash of white teeth. “Try it. I guarantee you won’t be sorry.”

Rey picked up the little ball and bit into it without further contemplation. The dough was crisp on the outside, lightly sweet, softer as her teeth bit through the surface. A burst of cream filling hit her tongue. Without meaning to, Rey hummed in appreciation. 

“It’s _delicious_ ,” she said.

Pleased, Poe said, “Told you, didn’t I?”

“You have to try this,” Rey said, pushing the pastry over to Finn, accidentally smearing some of the cream on his face. “Sorry, but seriously, try this.”

“Okay, okay!” Finn took a bite, closing his eyes in apparent rapture. “Stars,” he said, and licked the cream off his face.

“See? Told you!” Rey took another bite before Finn could eat the whole thing. Then she noticed that Poe was staring at them, this strange expression on his face, and she wondered if maybe she’d done something wrong. Sometimes she wasn’t sure how she was supposed to… Sometimes she could only tell by the reactions of other people that she was being weird.

“You’re staring, Poe,” she said, uncomfortable.

He blinked. “What? Oh! Sorry, I’m sorry, I just… It’s nice, that’s all. Seeing you enjoy things.”

“Should I not?”

“No! No, absolutely not, that’s not what I meant.” Poe rubbed his hands through his hair, obviously flustered. “I don’t know what I…”

“Oh, put him out of his misery, Rey,” Finn said, grinning.

“Fine, never mind,” Rey said, finishing the pastry. Her only regret was that she didn’t have another.

She licked the crumbs off her fingertips and watched Poe, a flush across his cheekbones. It was sort of surprising how awkward he was, sometimes. He was kind of a dork. Rey liked that about him. He was… unpretentious.

Poe started talking, the flush in his cheeks remaining. “My mom used to make this dish, when I was a kid. It’s, uh, it’s like this dough, stuffed with meat, mostly, and you cook them in-- it’s hard to describe, if you haven’t eaten them. Anyway, I could make them for you guys? If you want. They never taste quite right when I do it; my dad says they do but I think he’s lying. Mom always… But I’d, uh, I’d like to make them for you.”

Since leaving Jakku, Rey had come to realize something about food. Sometimes it wasn’t always just about the _food,_ it was about the memory associated with it. She’d noticed the way people on base would get excited by certain things, food from their homeworlds, and she’d noticed the way people talked and reminisced. Poe’s sense of this dish was wrapped up in the memory of his mother, whom Rey knew had died while Poe was still a boy. It was more than the simple ingredients, or the recipe. Rey didn’t know how it felt to have a mother cook for you, to stand in the kitchen while she worked, the smells, the sight of her, the knowledge that she loved you, that she was making this dish because of that love.

That was the problem, Rey thought, that was why Poe said the dish never tasted right when he made it. He was remembering all of it, he was remembering his mother, and the way she had done it, and it would never be the same without her. Rey thought that letting Poe cook for her and Finn, because he wanted to, because he wanted to make them happy and to share something of himself with them, would be like creating the same feeling in her mind. Building up an emotion and a memory all wrapped up in a piece of food.

“I’d really like that,” she said to Poe, and liked the way he smiled at her.

-

Drawing was a skill Rey had acquired during long, lonely days on Jakku. It had been a way to pass the time after scavenging trips or during sandstorms without expending much energy. Rey wasn’t sure if she was actually good at it or not, but she enjoyed the doing of it, the peaceful feeling it brought.

So in quiet moments on base, Rey drew. She drew the places she had seen, starships, the people she knew. She drew Finn. She sat at an empty table in the mess hall and drew Finn, the strong lines of his face, the curve of his smile. 

“That’s a very good likeness.”

At the sound of Leia’s voice, Rey’s hand slipped. Flustered, she tried to shove the sketch out of sight. “I was just doodling,” she muttered.

Leia’s gaze was kind as she sat down across from Rey. “You’ve become good friends.”

“He was my first friend,” Rey said. He had brought adventure into her life, made her see that she could be more than what she had been. He was the first person to care about her. That would always make Finn important, so important. She already wasn’t sure what she would do without him.

“At least he’s not likely to turn out to be your brother. Then again, maybe you shouldn’t push your luck.”

“What?”

Leia waved her hand in the air. “Never mind. Speaking of my brother, how are you getting on?”

“Okay, I think. Has he said anything?” Rey asked, suddenly nervous that Luke had been complaining about her.

“Nothing bad, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

Rey couldn’t deny her relief. “Sometimes I can’t tell what he’s thinking. Most of the time.”

“My brother, the big mystery,” Leia said, not quite seriously. “He cares for you, Rey. You know that, don’t you?”

“I guess.” Rey had spent a good deal of her time on Ahch-To painfully aware that she was a burden for Luke. Not that he had been rude to her, far from it; he had never been anything but kind. But he had been tired, weary, and Rey had clearly been a less than welcome reminder of what he had left behind.

Luke had returned with her but Rey had no illusions that it was because of her. She had merely been the bearer of bad news; the reminder that no matter how much he might have wanted to, he couldn’t hide forever. He had returned for his sister. He had returned because he was Luke Skywalker, even though he had tried not to be.

Sometimes she wondered if being Master Luke was an easier mantle to bear, or a harder one.

“You just need to get to know him better,” Leia told her. “He’s not always so serious, believe me. It’s only that Luke carries a lot of guilt. He… he worries about making the same mistakes.”

“I’ll never become _him,_ ” Rey said fiercely, before she even considered who she was talking to.

Leia didn’t flinch. “I know,” she said.

“I didn’t mean…” Rey trailed off, not even sure of what she meant to say.

“I know,” Leia said again. She touched the back of Rey’s hand. “You’re special, Rey. You’re going to keep hearing that because it’s true.”

Rey slumped in her seat. “Right, because I have the Force. I’m… ‘untrained but very powerful,’” she said, as she remembered Luke saying. She didn’t feel very special. She just felt like Rey.

“A lot of people are going to pin their hopes on you. It won’t be easy. People like… well, they like a symbol, a figurehead.”

Rey knew that Leia spoke from experience. The Alderaanian princess who became a leader in the Rebellion, and then the New Republic, and now the Resistance. She had been a symbol all her life. Leia was strong in the Force, too. The fact that she had never become a Jedi like her brother didn’t stop that from being true. 

“I never asked for any of it,” Rey said. She had just wanted to help. Now apparently she had a destiny. She wondered if she could give it back.

“And yet here you are,” Leia said. 

“Here I am,” Rey sighed.

“Can I give you some unsolicited advice?”

“I don’t think it counts as unsolicited if it comes from you,” Rey said, and Leia’s mouth twitched as if in amusement.

“A little bit solicited then,” Leia said. “You know we only expect a lot from you because of who you are, Rey. If we didn’t believe in you we wouldn’t… Well, we wouldn’t be sitting here. It’s not easy and it isn’t fair. But you have a home here, if you want it. You can always ask for help. And you can…” Leia hesitated. “Many people are going to try to tell you what to do. People who are wiser than you, and probably some who aren’t. You’re smart enough to tell the difference, I think. You should listen and you should learn, but you’re your own person. Make your own mistakes. Be who you want to be. Don’t let anyone tell you how you should be.” 

Rey couldn’t imagine that Leia had ever allowed anyone to tell her who she should be. She thought she could do a lot worse than trying to be like Leia.

But maybe first, she could try to be like Rey. She didn’t think that would be so bad. 

“Also?” Leia said, her eyes full of humor. “Try to actually finish your Jedi training before you go running off to do something stupidly heroic and dangerous that will probably result in you needing a rescue of your own. Unless you want to lose a limb like my brother.”

Rey’s laugh was halfway between a giggle and a snort. “Um, what? I don’t think I know that story.”

“Chewie tells it the best. He tells most stories the best, honestly, exaggerations and all.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Rey said. “Oh, no, what’s the time?” She glanced up at the chrono and pushed her seat back. “I’m late! I’m supposed to meet Luke, he said he had something different planned.”

“Sounds ominous,” Leia teased.

“Well, he’s dramatic,” Rey said, giving Leia a wave as she hurried off. She headed towards the tarmac, where Luke had asked to meet. Honestly she had no idea what sort of training Luke could have in mind out there but she supposed she would find out soon.

She did. 

She definitely did.

Luke stood with her in front of a damaged X-wing that had returned to base yesterday and said, “Leia wants it in the hangar for repairs, out of the way, but it can’t be flown. Barely made it back to base. I told her I’d handle it.”

“I don’t see what this has to do with my training,” Rey said.

“You’re going to move it. You’re going to use the Force to do it.”

Rey gaped at him. “You’re not serious.”

“Oh, I’m entirely serious.”

“So you’ve got me going from levitating droids to X-wings? Bit of a leap, don’t you think?”

Luke shrugged. “Can you do it? I mean, I won’t push you, if you think…”

Rey bristled at the implication that she was afraid. She considered the ship. “I can try.”

“An old friend of mine once told me that there’s no such thing as trying,” Luke said, something fond and yet distant in his face, like he was thinking of a long-ago memory. “You either do or you don’t. You strike me as the kind of person who does things, Rey.”

It was a verification and a challenge all at once. Rey was struck by not only how much she wanted to prove herself but by how much she wanted to prove Luke’s faith in her. She wanted to make him proud.

It was a strange feeling. Rey had never had anyone in her life to want to be proud of her before.

“I can do it,” she said, rewarded by Luke’s slight, approving nod.

Rey raised her hand and breathed.

-

“Hydrospanner,” Rey said and held out her hand. She felt the weight of the tool in her palm almost immediately. “Thanks, Chewie.”

Chewbacca was a million times more helpful when repairing the _Millennium Falcon_ than Finn was, Rey decided. Though, she conceded, Finn was an eager learner and while he was highly distracting, he made everything more fun.

Not that Chewie wasn’t fun. Leia was right; he did tell the best stories. As long as you didn’t mind an embellishment or two. Or ten.

He was just finishing up a tale involving himself, Han, lost cargo, and some bounty hunters whose numbers seemed to suspiciously increase at various points when Rey heard Finn calling her name. “Ow,” she said, getting her finger caught as she closed a panel.

She sucked on her fingertip in an attempt to soothe the pain. “What?” she called crossly to Finn, as her slip had obviously been his fault.

Oblivious, Finn moved closer to the _Falcon_ until he was standing below Rey’s perch, looking up at her. “Poe and I were gonna take a speeder out to this… Poe says there’s a canyon? You want to come? Please say you’ll come, it’ll be fun.”

Rey stared at the hydrospanner in her hand. “I was hoping to finish these repairs.”

“Aw, Rey--”

Chewbacca interrupted Finn’s protests with some concern of his own.

Rey said, “No, I can’t let you do that, Chewie, I promised--” She listened to his deep, rumbling voice and felt like something warm was taking root in her chest. “Chewie--” she tried faintly protesting one last time, but stopped at his look.

“All right,” she said, unable to stop herself from smiling, and threw her arms around Chewie, enjoying the firm feel of his arms around her and the softness of his fur against her cheek.

Chewie’s grumble reverberated against her and Rey pulled back, saying, “Okay, okay, I’m going.”

“You’re coming?” Finn said excitedly. “Yes! This is gonna be great, I promise.”

Right at that moment Poe came into view, pulling a jacket on over his white shirt. His hair was wet like he had just come out of the ‘fresher. “She said yes? Fantastic! I’m ready when you guys are.”

Finn was still standing down on the ground, looking hopefully at Rey. Rey gave the hydrospanner to Chewie and scrambled down. “I guess I’m ready,” she said.

Finn rubbed at a smudge on Rey’s cheek. “That makes three of us,” he said. He took her hand, pulling her along towards Poe, and Poe wrapped his arm around her waist as they walked in step.

“I’m flying the speeder, right?” Rey said.

“Excuse you, best pilot in the Resistance here, I’m flying,” Poe said.

“Best pilot in the Resistance before I showed up, maybe.”

“It was a mantle that was given, not taken,” Poe insisted. “Besides, I already know where we’re going.”

“You two, I can’t handle it, you’re ridiculous,” Finn said, a sigh in his tone, though his eyes were crinkling at the corners like he was trying not to laugh at them.

Rey had spent most of her life yearning. Yearning for something else, something better, something more. Yearning for her family, for a real home, to be loved. It was slowly sinking in that she didn’t have to do that anymore. There wasn’t any need for yearning because everything she had wanted was right here, in this place, with these people.

She thought of Maz telling her that the belonging she sought was ahead of her. She thought of Leia telling her that she had a home here. 

Rey walked between Finn and Poe and let herself be happy.

**_End_ **


End file.
